Fuse management for an electric mobile application

Abstract

A system includes a vehicle including a motive electrical power path and at least one auxiliary electrical power path; a power distribution unit having a motive current protection circuit disposed in the motive electrical power path, the motive current protection circuit including a fuse; an auxiliary current protection circuit disposed in each of the at least one auxiliary electrical power path, each auxiliary current protection circuit including an auxiliary fuse; a motive current sensor electrically coupled to the motive electrical power path, where the motive current sensor is configured to provide a motive current value; and at least one auxiliary current sensor, each auxiliary current sensor electrically coupled to one of the at least one auxiliary electrical power path, each auxiliary current sensor configured to provide a corresponding auxiliary current value.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system, comprising:
 a vehicle comprising a motive electrical power path and at least one auxiliary electrical power path; a power distribution unit having a motive current protection circuit disposed in the motive electrical power path, the motive current protection circuit including a fuse; 
 an auxiliary current protection circuit disposed in each of the at least one auxiliary electrical power path, each auxiliary current protection circuit including an auxiliary fuse; 
 a motive current sensor electrically coupled to the motive electrical power path, where the motive current sensor is configured to provide a motive current value; 
 at least one auxiliary current sensor, each auxiliary current sensor electrically coupled to one of the at least one auxiliary electrical power path, each auxiliary current sensor configured to provide a corresponding auxiliary current value; and 
 a controller comprising a fuse current model providing a second motive current value corresponding to the motive electrical power path, wherein the controller varies utilization of the motive current value from the current sensor or the second motive current value from the fuse current model depending upon an operating condition. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a vehicle interface circuit, the vehicle interface circuit structured to provide the motive current value to a vehicle network. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 2 , the vehicle interface circuit further structured to provide an auxiliary current value corresponding to the at least one auxiliary electrical power path to the vehicle network. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 2 , further comprising a battery management controller structured to receive the motive current value from the vehicle network. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the second motive current value comprises a higher accuracy relative to the motive current value. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 5 , wherein the second motive current value comprises a faster response time relative to the motive current value. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller further comprises a vehicle interface circuit, the vehicle interface circuit structured to provide the second motive current value to a vehicle network. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 7 , further comprising a battery management controller structured to receive the second motive current value from the vehicle network. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the motive current value or one of the corresponding auxiliary current values are determined in accordance with a load voltage drop across a corresponding one of the fuse or the auxiliary fuse, and further determined in accordance with a corresponding fuse characteristic. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the fuse characteristic comprises at least one of a resistance, a dynamic resistance, or a fuse impedance value, and wherein the fuse characteristic is determined from an injected current operation across the corresponding one of the fuse or the auxiliary fuse. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the second motive current value is determined by the controller in accordance with a load voltage drop across the fuse, a fuse resistance value determined from an injected current operation across the fuse, a fuse dynamic resistance value determined from the injected current operation across the fuse, or a fuse impedance value determined from the injected current operation across the fuse. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operating condition is a charging operating condition, a quick-charging operating condition, a high performance operating condition, a high power operating condition, a limp home operating condition, an emergency vehicle operating condition, a service event operating condition, a user override operating condition, a reconnection command operating condition, an idle operating condition, or a high economy operating condition. 
     
     
       13. A controller, comprising:
 a current determination circuit structured to interpret a motive current value corresponding to a motive electrical power path for a vehicle that is received from a motive current sensor that is electrically coupled to the motive electrical power path, and to interpret an auxiliary current value corresponding to at least one auxiliary electrical power path of the vehicle; and 
 a fuse current model structured to provide a second motive current value corresponding to the motive electrical power path for the vehicle, wherein the controller varies utilization of the motive current value from the current sensor or the second motive current value from the fuse current model depending upon an operating condition. 
 
     
     
       14. The controller of  claim 13 , wherein the controller receives the auxiliary current value corresponding to at least one auxiliary electrical power path of the vehicle from at least one auxiliary current sensor. 
     
     
       15. The controller of  claim 13 , further comprising a vehicle interface circuit, the vehicle interface circuit structured to provide the motive current value to a vehicle network. 
     
     
       16. The controller of  claim 15 , wherein the vehicle interface circuit is further structured to provide the auxiliary current value corresponding to the at least one auxiliary electrical power path to the vehicle network. 
     
     
       17. The controller of  claim 16 , further comprising a battery management controller structured to receive the motive current value from the vehicle network. 
     
     
       18. The controller of  claim 13 , wherein the controller determines an expected accuracy of the current sensor or the fuse current model in response to the operating condition. 
     
     
       19. A method, comprising:
 powering a vehicle motive electrical power path through a motive current protection circuit; 
 powering at least one auxiliary load through a corresponding one of at least one auxiliary current protection circuit; 
 determining a motive current value corresponding to the vehicle motive electrical power path from a sensor that is electrically coupled to the motive electrical power path; 
 determining a second motive current value corresponding to the vehicle motive electrical power path from a fuse current model; 
 varying utilization of the motive current value from the current sensor or the second motive current value from the fuse current model depending upon an operating condition; and 
 determining an auxiliary current value corresponding to each of the at least one auxiliary current protection circuit.